The first trailer for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is here, and it feels a lot more like my favorite games than the previous attempts to adapt this franchise. The acclaimed Weapons and Barbarian director is back with his take on the iconic zombie games, and I love that the first look puts the “survival horror” element front and center.
The trailer centers heavily on Austin Abrams’ Bryan, as he seems to be the only human we see in this footage. What’s better is he seems to be a civilian, and not prepared to handle a zombie invasion like other Resident Evil heroes, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, or Leon Kennedy. To me, that’s perfect, because it gets to the heart of what makes the games so terrifying to play.
One big element of Resident Evil games is that “survival horror” means that this isn’t a situation where the hero is just running and gunning their way through every area. Ammo is scarce, and there’s going to be a fair few situations where you may be forced to run away with no better options. I have a feeling Bryan will be doing that a lot, especially with a double-barreled shotgun that, even if he has a lot of ammo, will be cumbersome to reload in tense situations.
It feels like Bryan is going to be the same type of protagonist as Grace, who is featured in the latest game, Resident Evil Requiem. She’s become a meme of sorts because players loved how genuinely terrified she is witnessing the horrific mutations that came from the Umbrella corporation. It’s a nice change of pace from Leon Kennedy, who’s seen it all as an experienced agent and is largely unfazed by face-splitting abominations.
Totally valid, but as someone who has to take breaks playing Resident Evil games because they give me so much anxiety, I appreciate this representation. I ultimately love the best horror movies out there, but I can also make myself miserable trying to watch them.
While we don’t know a ton about the plot, Zach Cregger told Bloody Disgusting that he wasn’t looking to tell the story of any character who is already in the games, but that it does take place in the universe. Having a hero who seems equally as horrified as I am is going to make this movie easier to get through, even if I have to shut my eyes for a scene or two.
All this to say, consider me hyped for the release of Resident Evil, which will be in theaters on September 18th. It’s one of my more anticipated releases on the 2026 movie schedule, so I hope it’s as good as this first trailer.